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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28274712">Day 12: Gifts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaskiaKieranLuthor/pseuds/SaskiaKieranLuthor'>SaskiaKieranLuthor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>12 Days of Supercorp [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Merry Christmas, Mutual Pining, SuperCorp is endgame, Two useless lesbians pining after each other, always and forever, because i am supercorp trash, oblivious idiots, william is a garbage character and should be treated accordingly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:00:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28274712</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaskiaKieranLuthor/pseuds/SaskiaKieranLuthor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 12 of 12 Days of Supercorp</p><p>Gifts</p><p>Kara and Lena exchange gifts for Christmas and then act like the oblivious idiots in love that they are for a little while. Supercorp Endgame &lt;3</p><p>Merry Christmas!!!!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>12 Days of Supercorp [12]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056191</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>145</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Day 12: Gifts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Here we are at the end! I can't believe I actually wrote 12 oneshots without quitting.</p><p>Is...is that pride I'm feeling?? How foreign...</p><p>Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So what did you get me for Christmas?" Kara asks with a smirk and Lena has to suppress the urge to kiss it away along with the ketchup on her chin as she nibbles on the smothered fries Kara had brought her for lunch in her office. </p><p> </p><p>“Who says I got you anything?” She shoots back, and immediately wants to take it back, afraid of hurting Kara’s feelings, until she sees the grin spread wider over the blonde’s face.</p><p> </p><p>It was hard, figuring out where the pits and lands were in this new era of their friendship. Lena didn’t want to do anything to mess it up, and so she constantly worried over everything she said, everything she did. It drove her a little crazy -- she had never had to censor herself with Kara before -- but if that was the price she had to pay to keep Kara in her life, then so be it. </p><p> </p><p>It didn’t exactly help that, with therapy and reflection, she had come to realise just how madly in love she was with the reporter. That just gave her one more very large reason to police her words and actions even further.</p><p> </p><p>She sighed dramatically, “Okay, I did get you something, <em> and </em> I managed to stay under the meager limit you proposed.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want you wasting your money on me,” Kara retorted. “You already bought Catco for me, I think you’ve taken care of Christmases and birthdays for a while.”</p><p> </p><p>Lena bristles at that, uncomfortable with the undeserved praise. “I also <em> sold </em> Catco because I was being a passive aggressive ass, so I think that cancels it out.”</p><p> </p><p>But Kara just waves her off. “We’ve been over this a thousand times, Lena. It’s all in the past.” She grabs a small gift bag from down by her feet and passes it over to the woman, wiping her hands on her pants as she does so. “Here’s yours. I hope you like it. Merry Christmas!” </p><p> </p><p>Lena reaches in slowly, gingerly removing the tissue paper until she feels the smooth surface of a gift-wrapped box. Lifting it out of the bag, she fingered the bow on top. It’s small, square, and lightweight. An engagement ring flashes through her mind, and she immediately shoves that thought away.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Yeah, that’s never gonna happen. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Pulling the strands of the ribbon, she gently undoes the bow, peeling the wrapping paper off, and lifts the lid of the small white box underneath.</p><p> </p><p>A silver ring sits in the center, the band two intertwined strands set with a small silver heart in the center, held up by two tiny hands. Lena’s heart beats furiously in her chest. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s a Claddagh ring!” Kara says brightly. “I figured with, you know, your Irish heritage and all it would be kinda cute. And it symbolises--”</p><p> </p><p>“Love, loyalty, and friendship,” Lena finishes quietly, setting it down on the coffee table and rising to go to her desk.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you not like it?” Kara asks quietly, a crinkle forming in her brow at Lena’s lack of response.</p><p> </p><p>Lena doesn’t answer, just pulls open a drawer and grabs a small, painstakingly wrapped parcel and returns to her place on the couch, handing it to Kara.</p><p> </p><p>Kara takes it from her, a puzzled look on her face, and unwraps it quickly. An identical ring is soon sitting in the open box in her palm.</p><p> </p><p>She sits silently for a moment until a smile slowly spreads across her freckled face.</p><p> </p><p>“We got each other the same gift?” </p><p> </p><p>“It appears so.”</p><p> </p><p>Kara bursts out laughing and slides the ring onto her right hand, and Lena follows right behind her.</p><p> </p><p>And if she turns the ring so that the point of the heart is facing toward her, indicating she was “taken”? Well, that’s nobody’s business but her own.</p><p> </p><p>*** </p><p> </p><p>Lena feels like she’s drowning. Here she is, standing in the bathroom of Kara’s apartment at game night, fruitlessly trying to shove down tears.</p><p> </p><p>This was stupid. <em> She </em>was stupid. She knew better than to think that Kara would ever be interested in her. She knew that that awful reporter was sniffing around her, plying her with food like some kind of third-rate Mary Berry wannabe. She was a pragmatist, a realist. So why did this hurt so badly?</p><p> </p><p>It had happened like this:</p><p> </p><p>Kara had told the funny tale of them getting the same gifts for each other, earning a laugh from the group, along with comments about how well they knew each other. Then <em> William </em> (seriously, who the fuck had invited him?) had taken it upon himself to mansplain to the group that Claddagh rings had various meanings based on the position they were worn in. Of course Lena had known this, but she hadn’t told Kara. She didn’t want her to know what Lena’s ring position meant, and she didn’t want Kara to have to be self-conscious about whatever position she wore hers in. In fact, when William had started his little self-important lesson on the subject, she had immediately shoved her hand into her lap so that Kara (or anyone else, for that matter) could not see it.</p><p> </p><p>But it hadn’t escaped her notice when Kara had fiddled with the ring under the coffee table, turning her ring to the “taken” position. Her heart had dropped into her stomach -- had probably stopped beating for several seconds -- but those seconds were all she needed to feel like her world was crashing down around her, so she had quietly excused herself to the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>She hadn’t noticed Kara and William getting <em> that </em> close. She didn’t even think Kara liked him all that much, and Kara hadn’t told her anything different. She never even mentioned him during their lunches or movie nights! So the fact that they were apparently exclusive and serious enough for Kara to turn her ring around? Well, that hit Lena like a dwarf star.</p><p> </p><p>She wipes her face and fixes her makeup, happy that the lighting is dim enough in the studio apartment for her splotchy cheeks to not be noticeable, and returns to the group with her head held high. </p><p> </p><p>Kara was her friend. <em> Just </em> her friend. She would be happy with that. She had to be.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>This was getting out of hand. It was like the world was making it a point to rub it in her face that Kara wasn’t interested in her.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Supergirl’s new piece of jewelry is the talk of the town, as is speculation over the Girl of Steel’s new beau. Every news outlet runs the story, Catco features it on the cover of their January issue, and on a slow news day it becomes the go-to subject to fill airtime.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Who is man enough to handle the Girl of Steel?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Maiden of Might or Maiden of Matrimony? Is Supergirl getting hitched?"</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Call the NCPD. Supergirl’s heart has been stolen!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “The Luck of Irish! The home of St. Paddy claims Supergirl has fallen for one of their own!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Supergirl and Hozier reportedly dating?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Lena’s heart cracks open a little further every time a new rumour is spouted (even if she knows they aren’t true), every time she sees Kara with the ring in that position, every time she sees her with stupid, handsome William.</p><p> </p><p>She still couldn’t believe that they were so serious. I mean, they never even kissed or held hands at game night or at the bar, and at both events Kara <em> always </em> sat next to Lena. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought they weren’t dating at all. </p><p> </p><p>But she did know better. And frankly she was happy that they weren’t big on PDA. She didn’t know if her heart could take that. </p><p> </p><p>Lena was happy for them, happy her friend was happy. That was more important than any stupid crush she might have on the hero.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>“...and I told him that he was an idiot to promise the board any more big product ideas without first running them by me. I should leave him to swing in the wind,” Lena was saying, her hands gesticulating wildly as she ranted about her new COO. “He thinks it’s best to keep the board happy, but he keeps making promises he can’t keep and then comes running to me for help cashing the checks his mouth made. Well I’m sorry, but I’m not a gumball machine. You don’t just get to twist the handle whenever you want a treat!”</p><p> </p><p>She collapsed on the couch, feeling marginally better. Ever since she had retaken the company from Lex post-Crisis, the board had insisted on foisting a COO on her that they trusted, which they hadn’t done the first time she took over the company, and whom she found completely incompetent. He was an idiot but in a year, if stocks stayed up, she could get rid of him, and she was looking forward to that day more and more.</p><p> </p><p>Finally her anger reduced to a simmer and she noted the absence of support or really any sound at all from the other side of the couch. She looked over to Kara, who was staring intently at Lena’s hand on the couch between them, her brow furrowed in confusion.</p><p> </p><p>Lena followed the trail of her intense gaze to the ring on her finger and then quickly curled her hand into a fist, shoving it into her lap.</p><p> </p><p>“Anyway,” she began, clearing her throat, “how about some lunch? I’ll have Jess send out for something. What do you feel like? Sushi? Big Belly Burger?”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you seeing someone?” Kara asked quietly, ignoring her attempts to divert her attention from her hand. </p><p> </p><p>Lena whipped her head to the side and felt a flush fill her cheeks. “No,” she said quickly with a chuckle, “well, not unless you count being married to the job as seeing someone.”</p><p> </p><p>Her joke fell flat as Kara’s brow crinkled further. “But you’re wearing your ring in the ‘taken’ position.”</p><p> </p><p>Lena fiddled with the aforementioned ring on her finger, twisting it around and around in circles. Should she play it off? </p><p> </p><p>Should she come clean? </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> No! Absolutely not! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She chose deflection. “As are you. It’s all National City can talk about. Who <em> is </em> man enough to handle the Maiden of Might?” </p><p> </p><p>She could see by the look on Kara’s face that it was not working, but she couldn’t give in. She kept talking. “And I will be terribly offended if it’s Hozier and neither you nor he told me.” She chuckled into the awkward silence. </p><p> </p><p>Fine. Honesty it was. But not <em> too </em>honest.</p><p> </p><p>“I am happy for you, you know,” she said quietly, her joking tone fading into seriousness. “You and William make a good pair.”</p><p> </p><p>Kara looked up then and stared blankly at her. “William?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you guys do a mean karaoke performance together, and I’m sure your Kryptonian appetite is fond of all the food he cooks.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not dating William!” Kara spat out quickly, a flush jumping up into her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.”</p><p> </p><p>So she was dating someone else? And hadn’t told her? Maybe their friendship wasn’t as back on track as she’d thought.</p><p> </p><p>She attempted to cover the awkward moment with humour. “So Hozier is still an option then?”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t tell me you were seeing someone.”</p><p> </p><p>Lena was taken aback by the directness. She studied Kara’s face, and upon finding what she could only describe as disappointment and hurt in her eyes, decided that it was just time to put it out there. She couldn’t handle being the cause of Kara’s pain ever again.</p><p> </p><p>“Because I’m not. Not really. It’s just -- I’m interested in someone but…”</p><p> </p><p>“But what?” </p><p> </p><p>Lena sighs, chancing a glance up into the clear blue eyes that she found herself lost in so often. The eyes she might never see again if she opens her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re not interested in me,” she finishes simply. As her heart begins to pound, she grasps at her last defence mechanism -- humour. “Tragic, right? Me, pining after someone I can’t have. How very high school of me. Lillian would be appalled if she knew.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I totally get how you feel,” Kara replied, a sad smile on her face. “That’s sort of exactly what the deal is with my person. Or at least...I thought it was. Now I’m not so sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Lena frowned. “What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>Kara tilted her head thoughtfully, studying her. “Will you tell me who you’re in love with?”</p><p> </p><p>Lena blanched. “Um. No.”</p><p> </p><p>Kara grins triumphantly, as if this proved a hypothesis she had been working on. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”</p><p> </p><p>And Lena sees that she isn’t getting out of this, and she curses herself and Kara for buying these stupid, stupid rings. Laying her head in her hands with a groan, she squeaks out a quiet, “It’s…you.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s silence from the other side of the couch for a little while, and when Lena finally gets the courage to look up, ready to tell Kara that she knows the feelings aren’t returned, that nothing has to change, that she doesn’t expect anything from her, she sees Kara gazing at her in adoration, her shoulders sagged in relief, a soft smile painted on her plump lips.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, thank Rao.”</p><p> </p><p>Lena’s brow furrows and she opens her mouth to ask what that means, when she’s suddenly swept up into a hard, deep kiss by the object of her affection. </p><p> </p><p>It takes her a moment to adjust to this new reality. </p><p> </p><p>Kara is kissing her. </p><p> </p><p>Kara is in love with her too.</p><p> </p><p>Lena silently retracts the curse she lobbed at the rings in her head. </p><p> </p><p>And in a couple years when the rings are moved onto the ring fingers of their left hand, she denies she ever cursed them in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>In fact, from that day on whenever anyone asks, she always says -- apart from Kara’s love -- the ring is the best gift she’s every received.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to everyone who read and commented on these, especially if you stuck through with me the whole way through. I love you all so much, and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, etc!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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